Sutton Middle School

2008-2009 Summer Reading List

 

All SMS students entering 7th grade in September 2008 are required to read Percy Jackson and the Olympian: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and one additional selection during the summer from their upcoming grade level reading list. Each selection is also given its readability level and genre.

 

*          = Moderate

**        = Challenging

***     = Difficult

 

 

 

 

 

Remember all students are required to complete the summer reading questionnaire for both books.  All students will be given an assessment on the required reading Percy Jackson and the Olympian: The Lightning Thief at the start of the 2008-2009 school year.

 

 

7th Grade Summer Reading List

                             

Percy Jackson and the Olympian: The Lightning Thief

                   By Rick Riordan                            **                     (Mythology/Fantasy)

Perseus, aka Percy Jackson, thinks he has big problems. His father left before he was born, he's been kicked out of six schools in six years, he's dyslexic, and he has ADHD. What a surprise when he finds out that that's only the tip of the iceberg: he vaporizes his pre-algebra teacher, learns his best friend is a satyr, and is almost killed by a minotaur before his mother manages to get him to the safety of Camp Half-Blood--where he discovers that Poseidon is his father. But that's a problem, too. Poseidon has been accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, and unless Percy can return the bolt, humankind is doomed.

 

Tangerine by Edward Boor                                       ***                             (Realistic Fiction)

So what if he's legally blind? Even with his bottle-thick, bug-eyed glasses, Paul Fisher can see better than most people. He can see the lies his parents and brother live out, day after day. No one ever listens to Paul, though--until the family moves to Tangerine. In Tangerine, even a blind, geeky, alien freak can become cool. Who knows? Paul might even become a hero!

 

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson                   *                           (Fiction in Poems)

When Lonnie was seven years old, his parents died in a fire. Now he's eleven, and he still misses them terribly. And he misses his little sister, Lili, who was put into a different foster home because "not a lot of people want boys-not foster boys that ain't babies." But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother, Miss Edna, is growing on him. She's already raised two sons and she seems to know what makes them tick. And his teacher is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper.

 

The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz         **                         (Historical Fiction)

In the Libyan city of Ghadames at the end of the nineteenth century, Malika is dreading her twelfth birthday. That is the time when, according to her family's Berber customs, she will be close to marriageable age and confined to the world of women. In Ghadames that means restriction to the rooftops, "a city above the city, an open sunny town for women only, where . . . they never talk to men." Malika longs to live beyond the segregated city and travel, like her father, a trader. But the wider world comes to Malika after her father's two wives agree to harbor, in secret, a wounded stranger. The outsider unsettles the household and helps Malika to grow.  It is a story of sibling jealously, confusion about adult customs, and a growing interest in a world beyond family

 

 

Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline Cooney         ***                   (Fiction - Mythology)

Anaxandra is taken from her birth island at age 6 by King Nicander to be a companion to his crippled daughter, Princess Callisto. Six years later, pirates sack her new island, and she is the sole survivor. Alone with only her Medusa figurine, she reinvents herself as Princess Callisto when Menelaus, great king of Sparta, lands with his men. He takes her back to Sparta with him where Helen, his beautiful wife, does not believe that the redheaded child is Princess Callisto. Although fearful of the half-mortal, half-goddess Helen, Anaxandra is able to stay out of harm’s way–until the Trojan princes Paris and Aeneas arrive. Paris and Helen’s fascination with each other soon turns to passion and plunges Sparta and Troy into war. Can Anaxandra find the courage to reinvent herself once again, appease the gods, and save herself?

 

 

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A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin        **                         (Realistic Fiction)

Watching home movies, Hattie looks back over the summer of 1960 and the events that changed her perception of life. The 12-year-old has difficulty making friends her own age, but enjoys the company of an elderly boarder, the friendly cook, and her artist father. Her relationship with her mother is sometimes difficult because they must always negotiate clothing and behavior to suit her wealthy, overbearing maternal grandmother. Suddenly, an uncle whom Hattie has never heard of comes to live with her grandparents because his school has closed. Although she is totally shocked at the existence of this rapidly babbling, Lucille Ball-quoting, calendar-savant child in a man's body, Hattie comes to appreciate his affection for her, his exuberance for life, and his courage in facing society's rejection. When she suggests that he sneak out to join her for a night of fun at a carnival, tragedy ensues. Hattie's narration is clear and appealing. Her recollection of the smallest of behaviors shows that each family member has felt both love and pain for her uncle, but could not express it. As she comes to understand what Uncle Adam meant when he spoke of being able to lift the corners of our universe, she is hopeful that her family can learn to heal and communicate. Martin delivers wonderfully real characters and an engrossing plot through the viewpoint of a girl who tries so earnestly to connect with those around her. This is an important story, as evocative on the subject of mental illness as Ruth White's Memories of Summer (Farrar, 2000).

 

Note: A suicide does occur in this story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo

         by Obert Skye                              **                                     (Fiction/Science)

Two teens, a small, furry "sycophant," and a talking toothpick try to prevent evil forces from destroying two worlds in this lighthearted fantasy. "Foo" is the world from which all dreams come, and the villainous Sabine wants to find the gateway from there into our world. This would destroy both worlds, so the reluctant title hero and his magical companions try to prevent it. The complicated plot unwinds through a playful narrative that tries, often unsuccessfully, to mix humor and suspense. There are some funny moments, but many attempts at comedy seem forced or distracting. An urgent race to Germany includes some clever plot twists, as when Leven's friend Winter uses her ice-creating power to turn an ocean into a road, but their quest never becomes truly exciting. When it turns out that the ominous "Shadows" under Sabine's command can be dismissed by a simple hand clap, it's mildly amusing, but detracts from the sense of true danger that makes an involving adventure. Leven's self-doubts and changes of heart are almost tedious, and there's little chemistry between him and Winter. Adult characters are mean, dull, and unattractive, which results in some Dahl-like humor, but soon gets repetitive. Despite some solid humor and an occasionally intriguing plot, there's not enough cohesion or consistency here to make this a rewarding fantasy.

 

 

 

So Be It. By Sarah Weeks                                **                         (Realistic Fiction)

Heidi and her mother have lived in an apartment that adjoins with their neighbor, Bernadette, since the 12-year-old was probably no more than a week old. Bernadette accepted and loved them from the moment they arrived at her door but could never ask questions since Heidi's mentally challenged mother simply "didn't have the words to answer them." Bernadette's agoraphobia further isolates the child. Heidi struggles with knowing nothing about her father or her family history, and never having a real last name. Then she finds an old camera, which prompts her quest to learn the identity of the people in the photographs it holds and to discover her past. While traveling by bus from Nevada to Liberty, NY, the girl relies on her luck, instinct, and the people she meets on the way to learn the truth about her mother and her own background.

 

 

 

A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass            ***                   (Realistic Fiction)

Mia, 13, has always seen colors in sounds, numbers, and letters, a fact she has kept secret since the day she discovered that other people don't have this ability. Then she discovers that she has a rare condition called synesthesia, which means that the visual cortex in her brain is activated when she hears something. From then on, she leads a kind of double life-she eagerly attends research gatherings with other synesthetes and devours information about the condition, but continues to struggle at school, where her inadvertent pairing of particular colors with numbers and words makes math and French almost impossible to figure out. Her gradual abandonment of her frustrating school life in favor of the compelling world of fellow synesthetes and the unique things only they can experience seems quite logical, although readers may feel like shaking some sense into her. Finally, and rather abruptly, her extreme guilt at her beloved cat Mango's illness brings her back down to earth and she begins to work on some of the relationships she let crumble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson                *                           (Realistic Fiction)

Fourteen-year-old Emily learns the ritual of "toning the sweep," a way of drumming a plow to create a sound that honors the deceased, in this tale of mourning and healing. Emily, her mother and terminally ill grandmother, Ola, meet at Ola's home in the desert to pack her up for a move to Cleveland, where Ola will live out the rest of her days. The three extraordinarily strong females reveal stories of grief and hardship--including the lynching of Ola's husband in 1964 Alabama--that have undoubtedly fostered the inspirational resilience in each of their personalities.

 

 

 

 

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi           ***                   (Fiction-Adventure)

Aster's son, Crispin, has always lived on the edge of his world--separated physically and emotionally from the others in his medieval village. But after his mother dies, he learns that he must flee his village to save his life. Crispin lived in a world where, for most people, their village is all they ever know, disease is a constant danger, and one word from a powerful person means death. This is a world of confusion and ultimately inner strength for Crispin.   Crispin learns from the village priest that his Christian name is Crispin, and that his parents' origins--and fates--might be more perplexing than he ever imagined

 

 

 

 

 

The Gadget by Paul Zindel                                **                         (Fiction/Science)

It's 1945, and 13-year-old Stephen has just reached the gates of the top secret military base in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He has come to join his father, a famous physicist who is working on a covert project for the Allies. Though his father is forbidden to discuss the project in any detail, Stephen can tell by his haunted eyes and shaking hands how worried he and the other scientists are. After a few weeks, Stephen finds that he cannot control his insatiable curiosity. Enlisting the help of his new friend Tilanov, Stephen devises a plan to discover the true nature of "the gadget." But when he finally learns what it is, he also realizes another startling truth--that he has trusted the wrong person with the information and not only his life, but the lives of all Americans, could be in terrible danger.